New Report Calls for Copyright Law Revamp

A new report has urged the government to revamp the UK’s archaic and out of date copyright laws to make them more applicable to modern times.

The contents of new report commissioned by David Cameron late last year could persuade the government to revamp the country’s 300-year-old copyright laws. Professor Ian Hargreaves, the author of the report, argues that as we enter the third decade of the internet, it’s important that we make the changes needed to modernize copyright law.

"In recent years, the UK has failed to make the changes needed to modernize copyright law, for which we will pay an increasing economic price as we make our way into the third decade of the commercial Internet," Hargreaves said yesterday. "The recommendations of the review are designed to enhance the economic potential of the UK's creative industries and to ensure that the emergence of high technology businesses, especially smaller businesses, in other sectors is not impeded by our IP laws."

One of the examples highlighted by Hargreaves in his report is the fact that, right now, we’re not allowed to rip music or movies for personal use.

"The UK has chosen not to exercise all of its rights under EU law to permit individuals to shift the format of a piece of music or video for personal use and to make use of copyright material in parody," said Hargreaves. "Nor does the UK allow its great libraries to archive all digital copyright material, with the result that much of it is rotting away. Taking advantage of these EU sanctioned exceptions will bring important cultural as well as economic benefits to the UK."

The report maintains that changes to copyright and IP law would result in significant economic growth for the UK. As such, it recommends the following changes be made:

•    an efficient digital copyright licensing system, where nothing is unusable because the rights owner cannot be found;
•    an approach to exceptions in copyright which encourages successful new digital technology businesses both within and beyond the creative industries;
•    a patent system capable of preventing heavy demand for patents causing serious barriers to market entry in critical technologies;
•    reliable and affordable advice for smaller companies, to enable them to thrive in the IP intensive parts of the UK economy;
•    refreshed institutional governance of the UK’s IP system which enables it to adapt organically to change in technology and markets.

"This change is modest in ambition and wholly achievable," Hargreaves, a professor at Cardiff University, wrote, adding that an economic impact assessment conducted by the team estimates the changes would add between 0.3 per cent and 0.6 percent to annual GDP growth. The review team also believes that, over time, the clearer IP and copyright law would be observed by most people without controversy.

Further Reading

ZDNet: UK must modernise copyright laws, report urges

Digital Opportunity: A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth